UConn’s Paige Bueckers Agrees to Chegg NIL Deal Addressing Students’ Food Insecurity

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

UConn star Paige Bueckers signed a
name, image and likeness contract with student services company
Chegg ahead of the Final Four of the women’s 2022 NCAA tournament.

Chegg announced Bueckers is its “first
student athlete brand ambassador” and noted the deal will focus on
issues related to student hunger.

The Minnesota native is returning to
her home state with the Huskies to play in the Final Four, and the
partnership with Chegg will begin by teaming with hunger relief company Goodr to launch a
pop-up grocery market Saturday in Minneapolis.

Bueckers and the companies hope to
provide 6,000 meals as part of the event, and the long-term goal is
to open permanent grocery stores at schools and college campuses
around the country.

The 2021 Naismith College Player of the
Year told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou she’s happy to be able to start the partnership near her hometown of Edina, a Minneapolis
suburb.

“It means a lot,” the 20-year-old said. “To be in a position to give back to a community that gave
me so much, especially not knowing for so long if I could be here on
the court with my team, it’s really fulfilling. But it’s also only
just the start.”

She added it’s an opportunity to use
her position as one of basketball’s rising stars to help others.

“I am really lucky to have grown
up with food on the table,” Bueckers told ESPN. “Today I
want to make sure I am sharing the opportunities I get and the
resources I have with others who might need a hand. I have a lot of
privilege and my responsibility to share.”

The playmaking point guard
missed nearly three months of her sophomore season with UConn because
of a knee injury before rejoining the lineup in late February.

She’s coming off her best performance
since the return, tallying 27 points and six rebounds in a
double-overtime victory over NC State in the Elite Eight.

Bueckers and the Huskies are set to
face off against Stanford on Friday night, with the winner advancing to
face either Louisville or South Carolina in the national championship
game on Sunday.